
Somerville Skipped Over for Fossil Fuel Ban Pilot
State officials have picked Northampton to round out its fossil fuel-free building pilot program, skipping over an application from Somerville officials.
State officials have picked Northampton to round out its fossil fuel-free building pilot program, skipping over an application from Somerville officials.
After years of deliberations, negotiations and regulatory rollout – and some well-publicized “agita” in the corner office – a septet of Massachusetts cities and towns can now significantly limit the use of fossil fuels in building projects.
What do Boston, Somerville, Salem and Northampton have in common? They all want the one available spot in a state pilot program that would let them significantly limit the future use of oil and gas hookups in new buildings.
As more Greater Boston communities adopt the state’s new opt-in energy code with its higher sustainability standards, developers are testing the limits of how far commercial buildings can effectively run without fossil fuel sources.
West Tisbury’s decision to withdraw tips over a domino that could lead to groundbreaking new regulations on new buildings in Boston or Somerville.
The Baker administration plans to ramp up efforts to combat climate change in the next two years in a push that aims to see widespread adoption of passive-house building techniques and green HVAC technologies.
Banning natural gas in new construction is a quick way to kill the economic miracle that has transformed the Boston area over the past half century from a rusting backwater to one of the planet’s top metros.